Bad Bunny to stage Puerto Rico residency
Bad Bunny has unveiled a 21-show residency in his native Puerto Rico at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico, following the release of his latest album.
The residency spans 21 July to 24 August and will see Bad Bunny, real name Benito Martínez Ocasio, play Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays throughout the stint. The first nine shows will be exclusively reserved for Puerto Rico residents, with an in-person presale beginning tomorrow (15 January).
“I’m in Puerto Rico, I’m home, having fun and, to be honest, I don’t want to leave,” he says (as translated by Billboard) in his announcement video.
His historic Residencia en El Choli, the most expansive at the 18,000-capacity arena known locally as “El Choli”, is aptly named No me quiero ir de aquí (I don’t want to leave here).
Further international tour dates are expected later this year, including stops in Mexico, Brazil and Spain.
“Thanks to music and the love you give me through my music, I’ve had the privilege of travelling to sing in different places of the world. I appreciate and love to do it,” he continues.
“There are places I for sure will return to like Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Colombia. And some I’ve never been to but would like to visit, like Brazil and Japan. And there are places I haven’t been to in a long time, like Italy, London, Spain, I know, and I promise before the year ends, I’ll tell you the date and time I will be visiting,” he hints.
“I’m in Puerto Rico, I’m home, having fun and, to be honest, I don’t want to leave”
Bunny released his sixth studio album, Debí Tirar Más Fotos, earlier this month. The Spanish-language album, which debuted at no. 2 on the Billboard 200, is the global superstar’s recommitment to his native island as explained to the New York Times. The 17-track album was created entirely in the country and also features all-Puerto Rican collaborators.
Despite “El Choli” being located in the capital San Juan, in-person presale for the first six shows will happen across the island while presale for the final three resident-exclusive shows will be held online, according to Ticketera.
Demand for the event will be sky high, with the Reggaeton star’s last outings shattering multiple records. In 2022, Bad Bunny usurped Ed Sheeran as the highest-grossing touring artist in a calendar year, selling over 3 million tickets across his El Último Tour del Mundo North American tour and the World’s Hottest Tour stadium trek across Latin and North America.
The Grammy Award-winning artist last visited Europe on his 2019 X 100pre Tour.
The ASM Global-managed “El Choli” celebrated its 20th anniversary last year. Booking manager Melanie García Vélez told IQ that local artists — like Bad Bunny, Ricky Martin and Daddy Yankee — are a major draw for Spanish-speaking artists and fans to stop by the country.
“We are blessed to have many internationally recognised Puerto Rican artists; this helps us position the island strategically in the industry. This opportunity is often used by international artists who use the Coliseo to meet and connect with their Latino audience, giving them the opportunity to visit other Spanish-speaking venues,” she revealed in IQ‘s 2024 Global Promoters Report.
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Bad Bunny concert allegedly targeted by mass shooter
The US federal government has charged a man who allegedly planned to stage a mass shooting at a Bad Bunny concert in Atlanta, in the hope of inciting a “race war” before the 2024 presidential election.
Mark Adams Prieto, 58, was charged in Arizona on Tuesday (11 June) with Possession of an Unregistered Firearm, Firearms Trafficking, and Transfer of a Firearm for Use in a Hate Crime.
The indictment alleges that between January and March this year, Prieto was held under surveillance by the FBI after a source reported that he had expressed his desire to incite a race war ahead of the election (via NBC News).
According to the source, the FBI said that they had spoken to Prieto more than 15 times over the course of three years at gun shows. Within the last year, the source told authorities that Prieto began making suspicious and alarming comments, including “advocating for a mass shooting,” and specifically targeting Blacks, Jews or Muslims, the affidavit says.
“Prieto believes that martial law will be implemented shortly after the 2024 election and that a mass shooting should occur prior”
The source said, “Prieto believes that martial law will be implemented shortly after the 2024 election and that a mass shooting should occur prior” to it, allegedly asking the source late last year if they were “ready to kill a bunch of people.”
Prieto allegedly also attempted to enlist an undercover FBI agent to assist him with the planning of the mass shooting, reportedly targeting two Bad Bunny shows at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena on May 14 and 15.
Prieto was arrested on a New Mexico interstate on 14 May. He admitted to knowing the undercover agent and the confidential source and to having discussed with them conducting an attack on a public venue in Atlanta like a “rock” concert attended by young people and minorities.
“However, he told agents that he did not intend to go forward with the attack,” the affidavit states. He is also alleged to have admitted to having sold an AR-15 to the undercover agent and that he told the agent it would be a good firearm to use in the attack. The affidavit says he also told agents he had five firearms in his vehicle and more at his home. Law enforcement subsequently executed a search warrant at his home and recovered more firearms, the Justice Department said Tuesday.
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Bad Bunny closes record-shattering US tour
Bad Bunny has wrapped the US leg of his Most Wanted Tour, shattering multiple records and selling out every date.
The Live Nation-promoted tour spanned 46 dates in 30 different arenas, grossing approximately US$208 million (€191m) and selling over 700,000 tickets.
Of the 30 arenas played, the Puerto Rican rapper broke the all-time concert gross record in 16 venues including Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA, (47,586 tickets, $20,226,378 gross), Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY, (45,529, $17,769,046) and Kia Center, Orlando, FL, (31,759, $9,101,053), according to the Pollstar Boxoffice.
The Most Wanted Tour boasted a 37-song setlist and saw the rapper accompanied by The Philharmonic Orchestra Project: 24 musicians led by the multi-Grammy Award-winning producer, composer, and conductor Carlitos Lopez.
The Live Nation-promoted tour grossed approximately US$208 million (€191m) and selling over 700,000 tickets
Spanning two hours, the show was divided into four segments, taking attendees on a journey through every chapter of Bad Bunny’s career, with a special focus on his most recent album Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana (Nobody Knows What Will Happen Tomorrow).
The tour followed his World’s Hottest Tour stadium outing and before that El Último Tour del Mundo, which together closed in 2022 with a staggering $435 million. The gross saw him usurp Ed Sheeran as the highest-grossing touring artist in a calendar year.
Next, Bad Bunny will return to Puerto Rico for three sold-out shows at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico between 7-9 June.
The artist is represented by UTA’s David Zedeck and Jbeau Lewis in North America, as well as Carlos Abreu in the London office. Henry Cardenas handles Central and South America.
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Bad Bunny sues fan over YouTube concert footage
Bad Bunny has launched a lawsuit against a fan who posted “bootleg” concert footage from the artist’s recent Utah show.
The Puerto Rican rapper, real name Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, is suing Eric Guillermo Madronal Garrone over videos recorded at his 21 February performance at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, which were uploaded to Garrone’s MADforliveMUSIC YouTube channel.
The suit, which claims copyright infringement, violation of anti-bootlegging statute and false endorsement, was filed in the Northern District of California after Garrone, who lives in Madrid, Spain, contested the removal of the clips from YouTube.
“Each of the unauthorised bootlegs, both individually and collectively, negatively impacts the market for authorised uses of the Bad Bunny Works by, among other things, luring YouTube viewers and associated advertising revenue away from authorised videos of the Bad Bunny Works and the official Bad Bunny YouTube channel, and towards the unauthorised bootlegs,” reads the lawsuit.
YouTube took down the ten videos following a request by the rapper but – after receiving a counter-notification from the defendant – the platform informed Ocasio’s representatives that it would repost the recordings by 8 March unless a lawsuit was filed seeking injunctive relief “preventing Garrone’s continued infringements”.
“Ocasio has suffered and will continue to suffer substantial, immediate, and irreparable injury, for which there is no adequate remedy at law”
According to Billboard, Garrone is claiming “legitimate use of the content” and says the takedown notice “constitutes a serious detriment to my informative and outreach activities”.
But Osacio argues the recordings “do not qualify as fair use because, among other reasons, they are direct recordings without any transformative nature or purpose”.
“Defendants have objected to the removal of the unauthorised bootlegs from YouTube, refused to agree not to re-post the unauthorised bootlegs, and requested that YouTube reinstate the unauthorised bootlegs on the MADforliveMUSIC YouTube channel,” adds the filing.
“As a result, Ocasio has suffered and will continue to suffer substantial, immediate, and irreparable injury, for which there is no adequate remedy at law. Unless enjoined by this court, defendants will continue to infringe Ocasio’s rights in the Bad Bunny Works and in other works belonging to Ocasio. Ocasio is therefore entitled to injunctive relief to enjoin defendants’ ongoing and future infringement.”
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Debut Puerto Rico festival draws sellout crowds
A new festival in Puerto Rico curated by rapper Eladio Carrión and co-promoted by Move Concerts and Noah Assad Presents drew sellout crowds to its debut editions.
The Sauce Boyz Fest was the first music festival to be staged on the Caribbean island since the Covid pandemic began in 2020.
The first event took place on 18 May at Cervecera de Puerto Rico in Mayaguez before a 7,000-strong crowd and was headlined by Carrión, who was joined by surprise guest Bad Bunny to perform Coco Chanel live for the first time. Acts such as Tokischa and Young Miko also performed.
The leg was held at the Convention District in San Juan – at just five days’ notice after switching from the original venue Estadio Sixto Escobar due to an infrastructure problem – on 20 May before a sold-out crowd of 25,000. Artists included Bizarrap and Duki, Wiz Khalifa and Carrión, who was joined onstage by Lil Wayne, Myke Towers and Jhayco.
“I’m so proud of all of the people that pushed and worked day and night to make this festival a world class event in just five days of buildup”
“I’m so proud of all of the people that pushed and worked day and night to make this festival a world class event in just five days of buildup, proud to be a part of this team and experience,” says Alejandro Pabon, MD of Move Concerts Puerto Rico.
Other attractions included a gaming area, multiple art structures, three stages and more than 30 international and local artists. The festival was also the first in Puerto Rico to be livestreamed via YouTube.
Move Concerts is Latin America’s biggest independent concert promoter with offices in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Peru and Puerto Rico, as well as its headquarters in the US in Miami, Florida.
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Move Concerts co-promotes WWE’s Puerto Rico return
Move Concerts and Noah Assad Presents co-promoted WWE’s first premium live event to be held in Puerto Rico in 15 years, headlined by Bad Bunny.
The show, titled Backlash, took place on 6 May at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot in San Juan, and marked the largest gate ever for any WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) event held in Puerto Rico and the largest gate in the history of the Backlash brand.
Bad Bunny, who is managed by Assad, wrestled WWE superstar Damian Priest in the co-main event.
“We have been very proud of our on-going relationship with WWE throughout the region and specially in Puerto Rico” says Fabiano de Queiroz, VP of talent & tours at Miami-headquartered Move Concerts.
“The rich wrestling history and the incredibly strong music scene made for the perfect combination on a historic night”
Organisers confirmed back-to-back sellout nights for WWE’s Backlash (17,944 attendees) and the previous night’s SmackDown TV show (16,896 attendees).
“The rich wrestling history and the incredibly strong music scene made for the perfect combination on a historic night with the best crowd in the world,” adds Alejandro Pabón MD of Move Concerts Puerto Rico.
In addition, Backlash broke merchandise and sponsorship records, as the first-ever WWE event under the expanded partnership with Fanatics overseeing the on-site event retail experience. Sponsorship revenue surpassed any Backlash event in history, breaking last year’s record with a 98% year-on-year increase through partnerships with Netflix’s FUBAR, Mike’s Harder Lemonade, and Xfinity.
Move Concerts is the biggest independent concert promoter in Latin America with offices in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Peru and Puerto Rico.
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Ticketmaster compensates fans over Bad Bunny show
Ticketmaster Mexico has provided refunds and additional compensation after more than 2,000 fans were denied entry to a Bad Bunny concert at Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium.
The company reported that problems occurred “due to failures in its ticket reading system” at the first of two dates at the venue by the Puerto Rican rapper. It also cited “an unprecedented number of fake tickets”, with upwards of 4.5 million people having registered for the 120,000 available tickets for the 10-11 December shows.
Ticketmaster has avoided being fined as it has refunded the full price of the ticket, plus 20% compensation, to those affected, with the total amounting to almost 18.2 million pesos (€914,000). So far, 2,155 customers have received reimbursement and compensation.
For the second concert, federal consumer protection office Profeco deployed a team of verifiers at the entrance of the venue in an effort to minimise the issues seen on night one.
“Unlike the first show, access flowed without major problems and 110 consumers turned to Profeco because they could not enter,” reads a press release from Mexico’s Federal Consumer Attorney’s office.
“Ticketmaster also referred to failures in the scanning equipment given the high concentration of mobile devices”
“For its part, the Ticketmaster company reported at the time that there were a large number of tickets that were not purchased through official channels and/or legitimate tickets printed several times; that is, simple photocopies of the same ticket with which it was intended to enter the event. Due to these events, the company reported that it filed two complaints with the competent authorities.
“Ticketmaster also referred to failures in the scanning equipment given the high concentration of mobile devices; the signal degraded intermittently, causing ticket reading to stall on devices while offline and to break out when handhelds were reconnected, resulting in valid tickets not being read correctly.”
The fallout from the incident was such that Mexico president Andrés Manuel López Obrador called on Bad Bunny to give a free concert in the capital’s central Zócalo plaza.
Last year saw Bad Bunny – real name Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio – usurp Ed Sheeran as the highest-grossing touring artist in a calendar year, generating $435,388,660 for 81 shows in 2022.
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Fugitive teenager arrested over $132k ticket scam
The alleged teenage ringleader of a gang that conned 10,000 fans with fake tickets to shows by Bad Bunny and Daddy Yankee in Peru has been arrested in Spain.
Pamela Cabanillas, 19, is accused of leading a group of scammers known as “The QR Gang” that allegedly set up a cloned website of Peru-based ticket outlet, Teleticket, and sold tickets for up to US$390 between May and October last year. She is thought to have made at least US$132,000 through the scam.
According to the Daily Mail, her network sold 7,000 bogus tickets for Daddy Yankee’s two shows at Peru’s National Stadium in Lima from 18-19 October last year and a further 3,000 for Bad Bunny’s 13 November date at the same venue. Scores of customers were denied entry when their tickets were found to be duplicates.
“We have arrested her and transferred her to the police station to continue with all the necessary steps to carry out the extradition to Peru”
Cabanillas, was arrested by police last week and has been charged with five offences, including identity theft, aggravated fraud and falsification of private documents. If convicted, she faces up to 15 years in jail.
Cabanillas evaded authorities for weeks before being tracked down in Carabanchel, Madrid.
“After a discreet follow-up by the Spanish police, we have been able to intercept her, we have identified her and we have verified that her identity was the one that appears in the international [arrest warrant],” Spain’s police inspector Vanessa Arriera tells Infobae. “We have arrested her and transferred her to the police station to continue with all the necessary steps to carry out the extradition to Peru.”
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Ticketmaster Mexico installs new director
Ticketmaster Mexico has announced the appointment of Ana María Arroyo as its new director, replacing the long-serving Lorenza Baz.
Arrayo, who comes from a digital background, will be tasked with accelerating the firm’s technological transformation, as well as clamping down on illegal ticket resale sites, reports Forbes Mexico.
“The change in the leadership of Ticketmaster opens a new stage of leadership, which reaffirms our determination to improve the experience of fans, event promoters, venues and commercial allies, as well as ensuring the quality of our service,” it says
Ticketmaster also pays tribute to Arrayo’s predecessor’s “achievements and contribution to the evolution of the ticket industry in Mexico” over 30 years with the company, praising Baz as a “benchmark of professionalism to follow”.
Baz’s departure comes a month after Ticketmaster Mexico was absolved of blame for the controversy at Bad Bunny’s concerts at Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium, which saw 2,000 fans denied entry.
More than 4.5 million people had registered for the 120,000 available tickets for the 10-11 December shows
Ticketmaster says more than 4.5 million people had registered for the 120,000 available tickets for the 10-11 December shows.
The firm cited “an unprecedented number of fake tickets” and problems with the ticket-reading system for the incident. Federal consumer protection office Profeco initially accused Ticketmaster of overselling tickets for the concerts, but has since walked back the claims.
According to Mexico News Daily, Profeco head Ricardo Sheffield now accepts the issues were caused by failure of the venue’s ticket-scanning devices due to patchy internet access. He added that video footage showed empty spaces where the fans locked out with tickets would have been seated.
The fallout was such that Mexico president Andrés Manuel López Obrador has called on the Puerto Rican rapper to give a free concert in the capital’s central Zócalo plaza.
Last year saw Bad Bunny usurp Ed Sheeran as the highest-grossing touring artist in a calendar year, generating $435,388,660 for 81 shows in 2022, according to Pollstar data, surpassing the $432.4 million box office takings of Sheeran’s 94 ÷ (Divide) tour dates in 2018.
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Coachella reveals history-making 2023 lineup
Bad Bunny, Blackpink and Frank Ocean have been confirmed as headliners for Coachella’s 2023 edition.
The Goldenvoice-promoted festival will run across two weekends (14–16 and 21–23 April) at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California.
Bad Bunny, the 125,000-cap event’s first Latin American and Spanish-language headliner, is booked by UTA and recently usurped Ed Sheeran as the highest-grossing touring artist in a calendar year. The Puerto Rican rapper generated $435,388,660 for 81 shows in 2022, according to Pollstar data.
Blackpink, who will become the festival’s first K-pop headliners, and Ocean, who was due to headline the cancelled 2020 event, are both represented by Wasserman Music.
General admission weekend tickets cost $499 to $599
Other artists on the bill include Calvin Harris, Gorillaz, Burna Boy, the Chemical Brothers, Blondie, Rosalia, Eric Prydz, The Kid Laroi, Charli XCX and Bjork. Kaytranada, Becky G, Jackson Wang, Pusha T, Yungblud, Alex G, Labrinth, Christine and the Queens, Rae Sremmurd, Boygenius, Suicideboys, Wet Leg, Metro Boomin, Underworld and Porter Robinson are also slated to perform.
General admission weekend tickets cost $499 to $599, with VIP tickets priced $1,069 to 1,269. Other VIP packages are also available priced up to $9,000.
“Very limited” weekend one passes remain, while a presale for weekend two starts on Friday (13 January).
Harry Styles, Billie Eilish, Swedish House Mafia and The Weeknd headlined last year’s festival, which was Coachella’s first in-person event since 2019.
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